Kevin Durant Named 2013-14 NBA MVP

Dante A. Ciampaglia |
May 7th 2014, 9:02 am

Move over, LeBron — there's a new king of the NBA.

Yesterday, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant was named the NBA's 2013-14 Most Valuable Player. It's KD's first MVP after finishing second in voting in 2012 and 2013 behind LeBron. This year, Durant earned 119 first-place votes out of a possible 125. James came in second and Blake Griffin of the Clippers was third. Joakim Noah (Bulls) and James Harden (Rockets) rounded out the top five.

More importantly, Durant held an OKC team together while the Thunder's other superstar, Russell Westbrook, fought through injuries. Behind Durant, Oklahoma City finished the season second in the Western Conference with a 59-23 record.

In his acceptance speech yesterday, Durant thanked his teammates for their support. But he saved the most heartfelt moments of his speech for his mom, Wanda Pratt. "We weren't supposed to be here. You made us believe," he said. "You kept us off the street. You put clothes on our backs. You put food on the table. When you didn't eat, you made sure we ate. You sacrificed for us. You're the real MVP."